The Miami-Dade County Commission has approved ratification of agreement for Brightline–which will soon be relabeled Virgin Trains–to build a station at PortMiami by the end next year.
“The Virgin Trains PortMiami station will be a U.S. transit first as the only intercity rail system in the U.S. connecting an international airport (Orlando International Airport), directly to a major cruise port (PortMiami). This seamless car-free mobility solution will connect Central Florida to the ‘cruise capital of the world,’” Brightline noted on Tuesday.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez praised the agreement, saying it would connect South Florida with Orlando.
“This private-public partnership is a great opportunity to expand PortMiami’s connectivity to visitors traveling from central Florida and for Miami-Dade County residents to get to the Orlando area in a quick, enjoyable way,” said Gimenez. “I want to thank the Board of County Commissioners for its support of the Virgin Trains PortMiami station. It’s one more move forward to continue to improve our county’s mobility.”
The high-speed rail project currently connects downtown Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach and is currently working to connect to Orlando by 2022. There are plans to add a station Aventura and efforts to approve a station in Boca Raton.
“This is a first-of-its-kind train to port station that will connect the cruise capital of the world with a car-free option for millions of cruisers looking to start their vacation a little earlier,” said Patrick Goddard, the president of Virgin Trains. “This is a tremendous partnership and infrastructure investment between PortMiami, Miami Dade County and Brightline that will increase mobility, take cars off the road and provide our state’s visitors an easier way to get around.”
Currently serving more than 22 cruise lines, more than 5.5 million travelers moved through PortMiami last year, more than other port across the globe.
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